A Boring Afternoon
by RedJeyne
Summary: Some days there was really nothing to do in Winterfell. A Sansa and Arya ficlet.


Sansa Stark paced the great hall of Winterfell, utterly at a loss of what to do with herself. She had a break from her lessons this afternoon, and normally, she would spend the time with Jeyne Poole, giggling and gossiping and maybe sneaking something sweet from the kitchens. But Jeyne was sick, and her mother had said that she had to stay in bed. So Sansa had nothing to do, and no one to do it with. all her brothers had gone with their father to see someone executed, which was a dreadful thought. Well, all her brothers save Rickon, but he was a baby, so there was no point trying to talk to him. So she paced around on of the tables, trying and failing to think of something to do.

"Sansa, child, are you trying to wear a hole in the floor?" Sansa'a mother had entered the great hall. Sansa stopped pacing and dropped her gaze to her feet. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing..." It was true. Nothing was wrong. Nothing was right, either. The whole day was just nothing, and it was driving her mad. "I'm just bored."

"Bored?" Catelyn raised an eyebrow. Surely you must have something productive you could be doing?"

Sansa shook her head.

"What about working on your embroidery?" Catelyn suggested. "You enjoy that."

"But I did that all morning." Sansa knew she was being sulky and unladylike, but she couldn't help it. She hated it when her plans were spoiled. "I was planning on spending the afternoon with jeyne, only she's sick, and her mother won't let her out of bed, and there is no one else in the whole castle I can play with or talk to." She sighed dramatically.

"Well, what about spending time with your sister?"

Sansa made a face. "You mean Arya?"

Catelyn gave a small smile. "Unless I have birthed a third daughter without my knowledge, she is your only sister. You should spend some time with her. The Septa will be done with her soon."

Sansa bit her lip. "I would mother, only... Only Arya is still a child, and I am nearly a woman grown. So I really think she would prefer to spend time with children her own age." No doubt Arya's idea of a pleasant way to spend the afternoon off would be running through the mud by the stables like some sort of wild animal. But her mother would not like to hear such a thing.

"Nonsense, Sansa. You're not three years older than her, and still a child yourself." Catelyn shook her head and sighed. "You really should spend as much time with her as you can, dear."

"Why?" Sansa frowned. "I know she is my sister, but mother, we truly have nothing in common. I don't even think she likes me."

"Sansa..." Catelyn sighed. "Before you know it, you'll be married to one Lord, and Arya to another, and you good have all of the Seven Kingdoms between you. If that should happen, you will find yourself regretting the time you could have spent with her." For just a second, Catelyn looked sadder than Sansa had ever seen her. Then it was gone.

"I can't imagine Arya ever marrying a Lord."

Catelyn smiled. "I can't imagine either of you marrying and leaving me, but it will happen one day, and that day is sooner than you think." When Sansa didn't answer, Catelyn leaned forward and brushed a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear. "I really do think you should spend this afternoon with your sister, dear. For me?"

Sansa held back a groan, and nodded. Hopefully she could convince Arya to partake in an activity that was at least halfway civil.

"But I don't want to _read_." Arya complained. "I want to go exploring!"

"You've lived in Winterfell all your life." Sansa said, annoyed. "What could there possibly be to explore?"

"Loads! Bran says that there's lots of interesting stuff in some of the abandoned towers, he sees it through the windows. I wish I could climb like him, only the last time I tried I just fell. It's hard, but he makes it look so easy."

"You've been _climbing_?" Sansa was horrified.

"I've only tried it a few times." Arya scowled. "I'm no good at it all. Bran tried to teach me how to do it, but I just can't."

"And a good thing, too! Can you even imagine how furious mother would be if she caught you?" Sansa shook her head. As always, she was amazed out how spectacularly unladylike Arya managed to be. Sometimes she thought her sister would be better suited to be a commoner's daughter. She would probably like it. She spent her days running barefoot through the dirt whenever she got the chance anyway. "I don't want to hear any more about you climbing." She scolded.**  
**Arya rolled her eyes. "Yes, _mother_. Why do you even want to spend the day with me? You hate me."**  
****"**I do not hate you."**  
****"**You do. You told mother I was sneaking out to practise archery, and I got in so much trouble."**  
****"**You were sneaking out of bed at night to do gods know what! I told mother for your own good."**  
****"**How am I supposed to get any better at it if I don't get to practise, though."**  
****"**Why would you need to be any good at archery?" Sansa would never understand her sister.**  
****"**You never know. Theon says a bow is ten times as useful as a sword, if you can use it right. He says he could kill a man without him ever even knowing he was there!"**  
**Sansa suppressed a shudder. "Even so, why should _you_learn to use it? Ladies don't need to kill people."**  
****"**But all the stuff ladies do need to do is so boring." Arya pouted and flopped down into a cushioned chair. "We aren't allowed to do anything interesting. I wasn't allowed to go to the execution, even though Bran is younger than me, and they let him go."**  
****"**Bran is a boy."**  
****"**Exactly! And since I'm a lady, they treat me the same they treat baby Rickon."**  
****"**Why would you even want to go to the execution? It sounds positively vulgar."**  
****"**But everyone else goes. I don't like being left out."**  
**Sansa sniffed dismissively. "You just like to be difficult."**  
****"**It's easy for you to say that, you're _good_at being a lady." Arya's tone was sulky. "I'm no good at any of it."**  
****"**You never really try, though."**  
****"**I do! It's just hard." She sighed. "And anyway, what's even th point? It wouldn't even matter if I got better at all these things. I would always look horrid next to you." She mumbled the last bit, so Sansa almost thought she misheard.**  
****"**You... You don't look..."**  
****"**You don't have to lie. I don't really mind. I _am_horrid at being a lady. So I don't even try anymore." She shrugged. "You can be the lady in the family. I won't compete for that."**  
**Sansa couldn't think of a response to that. She had often wished she had a sister who was more like her. A proper lady, someone she had more things in common with. For the first time, she found herself wondering if maybe Arya didn't wish for the same thing. A sister to run and laugh with, to explore the places they weren't supposed to go. Wouldn't Arya also prefer a sister who was more like her?**  
****"**I know you didn't want to read." Sansa said, pulling a book from the pile she had. "But I think you'll like some of these."**  
**Arya gave the book Sansa had picked out a dubious look. "The Tales of Nymeria...? Who is that?"**  
**Sansa rolled her eyes. "Do you not pay any attention to history lessons?"**  
****"**Not really. They're boring."**  
****"**Well, I don't think you'll find this boring." Sansa smiled. **  
****"**Well, alright." Arya jumped from the chair suddenly. "But first! We should go to the kitchens!"**  
****"**Why?"**  
****"**One of the cook's boys owes me a favour, so we can make him sneak us something nice." Arya grinned wickedly.**  
**The two sisters spent the rest of the afternoon curled up in a cushioned chair together, reading and eating the giant honey nut pie they had taken from the kitchens. It was the first time Sansa had truly felt like Arya was exactly the sort of sister she had always wanted. When a servant came to tell them that their father and brothers had found something on the way home, and that they were to go see, Sansa couldn't believe they were back already. The afternoon, which had started so slow and boring, had flown by. Perhaps spending time with Arya wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
